Numbers
by Chapin CSI
Summary: Tony / Thor slash. One plus one make two as Tony and Thor get together. Unfortunately, Odin decides it's time for Thor to fulfill certain duties. A heartbroken Tony's left all alone... NEW: Tony meets his nemesis. Will she scratch his eyes out? And will Thor grow a pair and stand up to Odin?
1. Chapter 1

NUMBERS

February 2013: I originally posted a slightly different version of this story in the Iron Man archive in 2011, long before the Avengers' movie, which explains why my description of the helicarrier is so wrong.

BTW, I'm very proud of the fact that I called Thor a 'surfer type guy' long before Tony called him Pointbreak, lol.

What I'm not proud of is the fact that I included a similar scene in my Tony/Steve story "party for 2". oops.

...

How Tony and Thor got together.

Part one: Two

Note: I didn't think much of Thor till I saw a picture of CH on the set of Avengers. Whooooa. Anyway, here's part 1 of my Tony/Thor story Numbers.

Oh, I'm not good at Thor speak, so … I apologize in advance.

* * *

TWO

Tony Stark frowned at the documents on top of his desk. He did a quick check on his computer, then looked back at the papers.

"JARVIS?

"_Yes, Mr. Stark." _

"Run me a check on the Toyland Manufacturer Co., will ya? If it's true they've got little kids working for them, then I'm not signing this contract. And tell Pepper. She loves going after the bad guys."

"_Very well, Mr. Stark."_

Tony put the papers aside. He leant back on his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. It hurt despite the painkillers he'd been taking. Maybe a little ice…?

He was wondering about this and a dozen other subjects, when JARVIS spoke.

"_Mr. Odinson is at the door, sir." _

"Thor?" Tony frowned. "He never comes to the workshop." He turned and saw Thor through the one-way glass. The God of Thunder was pacing about, looking down at the floor. Or at his boots. "Looks like he dropped something," Tony said idly. He watched him a while longer, taking in little details and big. "He really cleans up for a party, doesn't he? That's his best cape he's wearing."

"_How do you know it is his best cape, sir?"_

"I've seen all his capes, JARVIS; he wears this one only for special occasions."

"_You are very observant,"_ JARVIS said. _"At least, where Mr. Odinson is concerned."_

Tony frowned. Was that sarcasm?

Nah, it couldn't be.

Meanwhile, Thor was still pacing about.

"So, did he lose his way back to the party, or what?"

"_I do not believe that is the case, sir."_

Tony saw Thor's lips move.

"Is he praying?"

_"Judging by his demeanor and the tone of his voice lead me to believe he is, er, giving himself a pep talk, sir."_

Tony raised an eyebrow. "A pep talk?" Pause. "Let's hear it!"

Silence.

"JARVIS? I wanna hear what he's saying."

"_I am sorry, Mr. Stark. I cannot let you invade your guest's privacy." _

Tony raised an eyebrow.

_"After all,"_ JARVIS continued, _ "You promised your guests absolute privacy when they moved in."_

"Yeah, but, come on, this isn't a conversation. The guy's mumbling to himself, and I wanna know what he's saying." He frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Maybe it's got to do with the girlfriend. She wants to move in, he doesn't know how to ask... Oh, man," he sighed. "I hope it's not that."

"_Dr. Jane Foster would be a valuable addition to The Avengers, sir."_

"No, she wouldn't. With her in the mansion, Thor wouldn't feel free to come and go; he wouldn't come to the parties anymore -"

"_You do not attend your own parties anymore, either, sir. Tonight, for instance; you opted to come here instead of fulfilling your hosting duties." _

Tony didn't reply. He kept his gaze on Thor.

"Well, if I can't hear what he's saying, can you at least tell me if it's about the girlfriend?" Pause. "JARVIS?"

"_I… can't, sir. Mr. Odin is using a language that is not included in my database."_

Tony glared. "You could have said so from the start." He glanced back at Thor. "So, is he gonna stay out there all night or what?"

"_The situation calls for a direct approach, sir_," JARVIS said. _"Shall I open the door?"_

"Nah, I don't wanna talk to him."

"_I was under the impression that you liked Mr. Odin, sir."_

"I like him all right; I just don't wanna talk to him right now."

"_Then I am sorry, sir. You promised to be a gracious host, and I shall see to it that you keep your word." _

"No, wait -"

But before he could finish, the door slid open, and a message flashed on a screen above.

"_Please, behave yourself, Mr. Stark." _

Oh, you'll pay for this, Tony thought. He looked at Thor, half-hoping the big man would apologize and leave, but he didn't. He didn't enter the room either.

"Is he waiting for an invitation?" Tony mumbled under his breath.

The word _"Probably"_ flashed on the screen.

Tony sighed. Thor was too proper sometimes.

"Hey," Tony said aloud. That was about as proper as he was willing to be.

"Iron Man," Thor said formally.

"Come on in," Tony said. He saw Thor take a couple of steps in, then glance around the room with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

Tony patiently waited a couple of seconds, then, "Party isn't over yet, is it?"

"It is not, Iron Man."

"Oh. Great." Tony hesitated. "Is there enough booze and food…?"

"Indeed, Iron Man. It is a great feast."

Tony smiled to himself. He was glad Thor considered ribs, beer and pizza 'a great feast.' "So, is everyone having a good time?"

"Yes. Hawkeye considers it the best party ever."

"Oh. He must have found the Scotch, then."

"Indeed."

"Well, that's ok. Better him than me."

Thor was moving around with growing confidence. He had something concealed in his right hand, but Tony noticed this only fleetingly. There were better things to look at, after all: Thor's handsome profile, for instance; Thor's arms and legs…

Thor's ass, unfortunately, was concealed behind the flowing cape right now but, again, there was so much to see, Tony didn't much mind.

JARVIS was right, of course; Tony did like Thor; liked him a lot –too much, actually. In fact, it was one of the reasons he left the party early. He did stupid things at parties sometimes –like making passes at perfectly straight guys. And while most of those guys were already walking a fine line and only needed a little encouragement to decide which side they'd rather be, others didn't appreciate the attention. As for Thor... Well, the guy had a girlfriend he was crazy about. Not that having a girlfriend ever stopped a guy from wanting to experiment, but Tony didn't think Thor had any inclination in that direction.

Besides, he was a fellow Avenger; a coworker, so to speak, and Tony had a rule about not sleeping with coworkers. He was scrupulous about keeping his private life separate from work, which is why he kept his distance.

It wasn't that hard. All he had to do was avoid parties; or more accurately, the booze. His inhibitions disappeared when he drank, which invariably got him in trouble. And while staying sober at a party was always an option, well, where was the fun in that?

Better stay in his workshop. And if it got lonely, well, all he had to go out and get himself some blond, tall, surfer-type dude.

Meanwhile, he had Thor to look at, which he did for a while, till he realized he was being a tad too obvious. Actually, it was JARVIS who pointed it out to him. The words, _You are being too obvious, sir,_ flashed above the door.

Tony typed a message on his computer: _Shut_ _up, JARVIS_, and defiantly looked back at Thor.

"What about you, big guy? Are you having fun?"

"Aye, I am."

"Oh. Ok." He was hoping Thor would explain what he was doing there, but the demigod didn't say anything. _Oh, for crying out loud,_ Tony thought. "So, did you lose your way back there, or…?"

Thor turned. "I did not lose my way, Iron Man. I came here to enquire why you left. It is your home. It is your celebration."

"Yeah, well. I've been celebrating too much lately. You know," he said, mimicking the act of drinking. "I'm trying to lay off the booze for a while." To his surprise, Thor winced at these words. "What is it?"

Thor reluctantly raised his right hand.

"I brought this with me." It was a small horn.

"What's that?"

"Brandy," Thor said.

The connoisseur in Tony immediately perked up. "Brandy?"

"Aye. The oldest in Asgard."

Tony's mouth instantly watered. "Well… I guess we deserve somethin' good after today's battle, huh?"

JARVIS immediately went into action: Do_ not take it_. _DO NOT TAKE IT!_

'I wasn't going to!' Tony typed morosely. He reluctantly looked at Thor. "Maybe some other time, Thor. I've got some work to do tonight, so I'd better -" He pointedly shifted in his seat, then grimaced when he felt a twinge on his back.

Thor looked up in concern. "Are you hurt?"

"Nah; it's just a kink on my back." He rubbed his back without quite reaching the right spot. "Your brother packs a mean punch," he added conversationally.

Thor was instantly indignant.

"Loki hurt you?"

"Yeah. Brothers, huh? I mean, I don't have a brother but if I had one, I bet he'd be a handful too." He meant it as a joke, but then he saw the look on Thor's face. "Hey, it's ok," he added quickly, because he knew Thor's indignation always turned to deep shame at his brother's antics.

"I must make reparations," Thor announced solemnly.

"What's that?" Tony asked, then looked up in alarm as Thor determinedly walked up to him. Tony pushed his seat back, "Hey, it's ok, I'll just take some asp -" The word died in an agonized gasp as Thor's hand suddenly fell on the back of his neck, then lower, the strong fingers kneading deep into his muscles. Tony doubled over.

It hurt like hell.

_Oh, sweet Jesus, it hurts like Afghanistan –_

And then, just when Tony thought he was about to die, the pain started to subside and gradually turn into something that was close to… pleasurable.

Tony blindly reached out and grabbed at Thor's free arm.

"Oh, man," he moaned. "That's…that's…"

"Better?"

Tony nodded. He'd closed his eyes at Thor's first touch, now he opened them, only to find Thor's face very close to his.

Tony gulped. He'd never been this close to Thor –not without armor. The man was… well, the only word that came to mind was _beautiful_. The bastard's unblemished face even looked like it was lit from the inside.

_Way to make a guy feel inadequate_, Tony thought, very aware of his weathered 42-year-old face.

Thor smiled. "Do you enjoy my touch, Iron Man?"

_Hell, yeah_. But Tony didn't say. He was busy, holding back moans and groans.

"You have not yet responded," Thor said softly.

Tony calmed down enough to mumble, "Uh, what was the question?"

"Do you enjoy my touch?"

"Well, you're better than my chiropractor, that's for sure."

"Your Chiro…?"

"Joe," Tony said breathlessly; "A guy I see now and then."

Thor paused. "He touches you like this?"

Tony frowned. Was Thor jealous? 'Cause it sounded like he was jealous. And he'd stopped kneading Tony's back too.

He wanted an answer, and he wanted it now.

"He's a sort of doctor," Tony said tentatively.

Thor seemed mollified by the explanation, because his hand started moving again.

It was good, really good. Tony closed his eyes again.

He sighed. "Oh, God -"

"Yes, Iron Man?"

Tony chuckled. Here was a guy who was even more arrogant that him, but at least he was justified. He really was a god.

Thor leant closer, and whispered in his ear.

"I have been watching you," he said. "I have been watching you watching me..."

Tony froze.

"I watch over everybody," he said noncommittally. "It's part of my job here."

"Not everybody," Thor said quietly. "Not the same way."

_Busted_.

Visions of bashed gay men flashed through Tony's mind. Money and personal prestige had protected him all his life, but he knew luck had played a big part too. And luck runs out sooner or later.

He slowly straightened up. He believed in facing his troubles head on –especially those that involved violence.

"What you're saying is, I've been checking you out," he said calmly. "Ogling you," he added, because 'Checking out' might not be an expression Thor was familiar with. "So, do you wanna kick my ass or something? I mean," he added, because Thor seemed bewildered by Tony's words. "D'you got a problem with me looking at you? 'Cause if you do -"

"I do not."

Tony paused.

"You don't?"

Thor leant closer.

"I do not. In fact, I have been ogling you as well."

"You have -" Ok, this seemed too good to be true. "Uh, so… Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Thor seemed confused by the question.

"'Cause I'm game if you are," Tony said quickly. "I mean, if you want what I think you want."

"What I want?"

"Who you want," Tony amended. "If it's me, then just say the word. Or do something. Or -Oh, for God's sake, are you just gonna stare, or are you gonna kiss me?"

Thor smiled. "Yes, Iron Man. I am going to kiss you."

Thor leant forward, but Tony pulled back.

"Ok, just do me a favor, will ya? Call me Tony. I don't like this Iron Man thing –I might not live up to that name. Unless it's a kink; 'cause if it is, then I'm totally -whoa!" To his amazement, Thor had lifted him in the air, chair and all.

"Where is your bed?"

"Wow, straight to the point –I like that. That way," he added, pointing at one point over his shoulder. Then he grabbed at the chair as it bounced with Thor's strides. "Uh, I can walk, you know." But Thor ignored him and marched up to the door that led to Tony's private quarters.

"Open!" Tony said, but the door remained closed.

"JARVIS, the door, please."

"_Sir, I implore you to reconsider -"_

"It's ok, JARVIS; Thor's not gonna beat the shit out of me afterwards. Right?" he asked Thor, who looked bewildered once again.

"I shall not. Ever. My intentions are honorable; and -"

"You heard that, JARVIS?"

_"But sir, this is highly inappropriate. You are Mr. Odin's host, and as such -"_

"Oh, I agree," Tony said lightly; "As Thor's host, it's my duty to please his every whim. Open the door, please." Nothing. "Come on, JARVIS; we're two consenting adults here -one of whom hasn't had any in weeks." Hopefully, that would thaw JARVIS hardened database.

It didn't.

"JARVIS, open that door or I'll start making some harsh changes around here."

"_Nothing you say will compel me to open the door, sir."_

"I'll start by reprogramming your accent," Tony said calmly. "A Southern accent; how does that sound?"

"_You wouldn't!"_

"Oh, yes, I would. Yep, siree. Yee-ha!"

The door slid open.

As always, Thor was impressed by what he considered Tony's own brand of 'magic.'

"I built it myself," Tony said smugly; "The door, I mean, not the bed." And he tilted his head in the bed's direction.

Thor marched on and unceremoniously tilted the chair, dumping Tony on the bed.

"Hey!" Tony landed on his stomach but quickly rolled over, just in time to see Thor start removing his cape.

Tony almost offered to help, but decided watching Thor would be more fun. Plus, his hands were shaking right now. He didn't want Thor to know how fucking nervous he was.

"And here I thought your clothes just fell away," Tony said, as Thor removed layers of clothing and metal and ivory accessories –dozens of thingies Tony had never even noticed before. And all along there was this predatory gleam in Thor's eyes that made Tony horny and uneasy at the same time. Thor was big, but just how big was he, really?

And then he got his answer.

"Oh, God. You're…" He didn't finish. There were no words to describe what he was seeing. "So," he said, as Thor advanced towards the bed. "So, am I gonna end up with thunder and lightning shooting out of my ass, or what?"

Thor stopped and looked speechlessly at him.

"Sorry," Tony said sheepishly. "Was that too crude? I was just wondering. I mean, you're the God of Thunder and I'm a mortal and I've got no fucking idea what you're gonna -I mean, I can take it," he added quickly, "I just want to know if I'm gonna be walking funny tomorrow. "

Thor still looked bewildered. .

"You..." he said. "You would let me...?"

"Sure," Tony said, and then he realized Thor had assumed Tony would be the one on top. "You mean _you'_d let me...?

They stared at each other.

Tony reacted first.

"You go ahead," he said. "Then it'll be my turn. If I survive," he quipped.

* * *

ONE

He survived. They both did. And it was great. Actually, it was amazing. More amazing still, it didn't have a negative effect on their working relationship; it made it better –or so Tony liked to think. After that night, it seemed like the most natural thing to do, to spend time together either in Tony's quarters or Thor's, right after a battle. Or before a battle. Or any time in-between battles.

It probably worked because nothing else changed; Thor went on seeing the girlfriend he was crazy about, and Tony went on having casual encounters.

That the number of encounters dwindled over the next few months, or that he might be growing a tad dependant on Thor didn't worry Tony. Life was good –that's all that mattered.

He should have known it wouldn't last.

One day, Steve Rogers sent an urgent summons to all Avengers. It forced Tony to cut a business trip short, but that was ok; he'd missed his friends, and he'd missed the rush of adrenaline that he got from wearing armor. Besides, he could easily do business from a plane, or, as in the present case, from a Helicarrier.

It took him a couple of hours to put his business in order, but he managed. Finally, he put his phone down.

"JARVIS? You there?"

_"Yes, Mr. Stark."_

"So, what's going on? Any news on the big crisis?"

_"I have no record of any crisis, sir."_

"Really? That's odd. Steve said I was needed back there. 'Imperative' he said; like it was a matter of life-or-death." He was silent for a moment, then, "You sure there's no sign of danger anywhere?"

_"None that I can detect, sir. And communications have remained normal in the last five hours."_

"Huh." Tony was silent for a moment, then a sudden thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute. It's not my birthday, is it?"

_"It is not, sir."_

"Well, is it anybody's birthday, then?"

_"Not that I am aware of, sir."_

Frowning over this, Tony leant back in his seat. Then he smiled, as lying back like this reminded him of his favorite sex position, the one he called "sitting on the throne," with him sitting on Thor's lap. 'Impaled by the god', was a more accurate title, but what the heck, he liked the first one better. It was classier. As for Thor, well, he didn't care about titles; he liked the sex. 'Smart guy,' Tony thought, shifting in his seat. Damn, he'd really missed Thor. Hopefully, he'd be at the Tower -hell, he'd better be; by a happy coincidence, Tony was wearing a light-grey suit, Thor's favorite. There was something about the tweed that really turned the big guy on...

He was musing on all the things he might get to do, when the pilot announced they were approaching Stark Tower.

An Agent from SHIELD approached him as soon as he got out of the carrier.

"They're waiting for you in the conference room, sir."

"So, what's going on?"

"I can't say, sir. They just asked me to direct you there." And he pointedly conducted Tony to the elevator.

"Is Fury there?"

"Director Fury's in Libya, sir." And with no further explanation, the agent punched a button.

"Hey," Tony said, but the doors were already closing. "I own this place, you know," he said to no one. "I deserve to know what's going on."

The doors opened, and Tony stepped into the hallway. From there it was a short walk to the conference room.

Agents from SHIELD were coming and going, leisurely, like this was just another day at the job, but it seemed most of them were at least taking a glance into the conference room before moving on.

Curious, Tony took a look too.

"What the hell?"

It looked like there was a party in there. A frat party, to be more exact, with his fellow Avengers in a state of furor, and Thor in the middle of it. The big man looked bashful and not a little confused. That was intriguing enough; usually, it was Thor who made all the noise.

Tony noticed Agent Romanova standing a little aside from the group, and he went to her.

"Hey, Natasha. What's going on?"

"Thor's getting married," she said morosely; "That's what's going on."

Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I didn't peg Dr. Foster as the marrying kind."

"Not Jane," Romanova replied. "A deity. Astrid-something-or-other."

Tony was sincerely surprised. He didn't even know Thor was engaged.

Thor looked up then. He seemed to falter when he saw Tony.

Hawkeye noticed Tony, too.

"Hey, our landlord's back," he said. "Come on in," he added, motioning Tony to come close. "You're just in time for the celebration. Our friend's getting hitched -to a _goddess_. Really stacked, I believe," he added, using his hands to make an hourglass shape in the air.

Tony chuckled. That's what hit him afterwards: how sure of himself he was, and how unthreatened he felt. He even went to Thor and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Well, big guy, congratulations. If there's anything I can do to make your bride feel more comfortable, just say the word. Tell you what," he added, before Thor could reply; "You can have the East wing. I'll move my movie library elsewhere."

Thor looked down, as if overwhelmed by Tony's kindness, and the others' reactions were just as subdued. Actually, they looked embarrassed.

"Relax, everybody;" Tony said, "I'm not raising the rent to cover the costs." He was smiling, but he could tell something was seriously wrong. He glanced around, and after a brief hesitation Natasha stepped forward. Before she could speak, though, Steve intervened. He put his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"We need to talk."

"His bride refuses to leave Asgard," Natasha said spitefully.

And Tony still didn't get it.

"Really? Well, that's ok. He can visit her over the weekend." He looked at Thor. "No need to move back home, right?" But Thor wouldn't look at him, and this time even the others looked down too. Tony winced. "You're kidding," he said incredulously.

Hawkeye burst into laughs.

"We couldn't believe it either," he said; "Looks like the Mighty Thor's a whipped man, ladies and gentlemen. Aw, I'm just kidding," he added, clapping Thor on the back. "Cheer up; at least you're getting a beautiful wife. You should see what my uncle Bernard got!"

Tony was too stunned to speak; it was only when he noticed Natasha still looking at him that he forced a smile.

"Well, this calls for a celebration! Let's break out the champagne, will ya?"

"We're way ahead of you, Stark," Hawkeye said, as two agents hauled an ice bucket into the room. Another followed with trays and glasses. They settled everything on the conference table. "Get your glasses, ladies and gentlemen!"

Most of those in the room immediately flocked in their direction. Others, like Natasha, followed reluctantly. Steve hesitated, then he, too, moved, leaving Tony and Thor alone.

Thor drew a breath as if to speak, but before he could, an agent brought a tray with glasses in one hand and an open bottle in the other.

"Would you like some champagne, Mr. Stark?"

"Sure. I paid for it, I might as well -No, sweetheart; I don't want a glass. Here, let me unburden you," he said, and he took the bottle instead. "Take care of the groom, will you?"

Bottle in hand, Tony made a beeline to the exit, only to find his way blocked by Natasha. She had a half-empty glass in her hand, and Tony promptly refilled it.

"Drink and be merry, Natasha."

"Stark, you've got to do something."

"I do lots of things all the time, Natasha; please, be specific." But before she could speak, he looked over his shoulder. "Hey," he said to no one in particular, "Get some food from the pantry will ya? Some cheese curls and crackers -"

"Stark -"

"Hey, you know what? Natasha's right; we need real food to go with this. Call the caterer. Can't have people drinking champagne on an empty stomach -"

Natasha grabbed his arm and forced him to face her. He turned, but didn't look at her; he looked at her glass.

"Hey, are you drinking that?" he asked, "'Cause if you're not, then I'll take it. Can't let it go flat, you know," and without waiting for a reply, he took her glass and emptied it in one gulp. "Not bad," he said critically; "Still... I don't think I'll buy that vineyard."

"Stark, you can't let him go! We need him."

"Nah, we're gonna be fine," Tony said casually. "We'll find someone else. There's always someone else."

"Just talk to him, please!" she insisted; "If you do, then maybe -"

"And when we find him, I'll build him a hammer; I'll give it some cool powers, and then -"

She grabbed his arm again. "Stark! Listen!"

"I'm sorry, Natasha; can't talk business right now. Here," he said, handing her the empty glass. "You can have that."

He met her gaze then, and what he saw in her eyes made him turn and leave the party for good.

Compassion.

* * *

Things ended right where they started, in Tony's workshop. Tony went there straight from the party and then sat at his desk, staring at his computer. Pictures were rolling on the screen; pictures taken from newspapers and news shows from all over the world, all showing his fellow Avengers in full regalia, smiling, laughing even, a symbol of camaraderie for everyone to see. And Thor was right in the middle of it every time; the biggest guy in the room, with arms draped around his smaller friends, the mortals who seemed to bask in his attention.

"Shmucks," Tony muttered, and there was not one bigger than himself, who'd basked, all right. Somehow he always ended up at one end or the other of Thor's embrace, with the big man's hand resting on him. Sometimes Thor would do a little drumming on his shoulder, a sort of Morse code that meant he'd be dropping by later. Sometimes Thor was bolder; he moved closer and whispered, 'I want you, Metal Man,' and when Tony glanced around, he'd find that Thor was eyeing him like he was a juicy lamb chop or something, and it was enough to make Tony falter –sometimes right in the middle of a speech too. And Tony didn't mind. He never did.

Now, looking at the pictures, Tony had begun to regret every time he cut a conference short for Thor.

Oh, well. There was really nothing he could do about it now, except obliterate the evidence.

He punched a key.

"Oops! It's gone. I deleted another one, JARVIS!"

"_Do you wish me to delete that picture from my data base?"_

"Why do you keep asking that? I deleted it, didn't I?"

"_Accidentally, Mr. Stark."_

"Accidentally, on purpose." He punched the key again. "Ooops, there goes another!"

He took a swig from the bottle, then grimaced. He hated sweet stuff. It wasn't like the champagne wasn't giving him enough of a buzz –he'd kept his drinking in check for so long, even something as mild as this was bound to get him going –but he'd rather get drunk on bourbon; bourbon hangovers were easier to handle. Sweet stuff made him sick afterwards. Really sick.

He didn't have any bourbon at hand, though, and he didn't have the energy to go looking for it.

Idly, he looked back at his computer. Pictures were still rolling.

"Maybe I should just delete the whole bunch."

"_I can always retrieve those pictures from their original sources,"_ JARVIS said perkily.

"I don't want them retrieved," Tony retorted. "How many pictures did you save, anyway?"

"_The number of pictures taken by you alone amount to -"_

"Fuck," Tony muttered. Mea culpa. Yep, he'd taken lots of pictures; group pictures of the Avengers in and out of the tower, candid shots that chronicled their friendship from their uneasy beginnings to present times. Their first time at a bowling alley, for instance; their first trip on his private yacht, and the first time they tried to play baseball...

Then there was that tape, the one he kept under lock and key, so to speak. Normally, all security tapes were deleted on a weekly basis, even those from his bedroom –especially those from his bedroom; sex tapes had a nasty habit to turn up into the wrong hands- but he'd made an exception with this one.

Tony hesitated a couple of seconds, then typed a security code. A window opened, and there they were, he and Thor grappling in bed for the first time. They looked good together, despite their differences –one darker than the other, one bigger than the other. Or maybe it was their differences that worked in their favor. Thor was mostly silent, for instance, while Tony… Jesus, Tony wouldn't stop talking, not even when Thor started thrusting into him.

The sound was off, but Tony knew the dialogue by heart:

He, gasping: "I'd never done this." At Thor's questioning look, he added, "Without a condom, I mean."

And Thor had stopped moving right then.

"Do you wish me to wear one?"

"Oh, Jesus, no," he'd pleaded. "I'm clean, you're a god… Keep going." He'd grunted a couple of times, then managed a joke, "It's not like you're gonna knock me up, right?"

And maddeningly, Thor had stopped again.

"Knock you up? What does that -"

"Impregnate me," Tony cut in. "You're not gonna do that." And then, because Thor didn't immediately reply, Tony himself had stopped. "Are ya?"

And Thor had started laughing, boisterously –his own version of 'gotcha!'- and Tony had started laughing in relief.

Tony wasn't smiling now. There was a time when he thought that tape was better than any porn he'd ever seen; it had certainly helped those times he'd been left alone while Thor visited Jane Foster or his parents, or whatever it was that he did, (he never told and Tony never asked); but tonight, instead of arousing him, it pissed him off. He hated the way he looked at Thor, for instance. The emotions playing in his eyes were genuine, and that was the problem; he truly was in awe of Thor –well, that was kind of understandable; Thor was richer and more powerful than him. But did he have to look so fucking happy too?

Maybe he should delete that tape too; a sex tape was only good if it got you going.

He caught movement out of a corner of his eye then. A flash of red. Someone had entered the room –the only person who had full access to the workshop apart from him.

Thor.

Tony didn't immediately look up. He never did when Thor visited. It was a little game they played; he kept working, Thor got impatient and then walked up to him, pulled him away from his desk (or his workbench) and started kissing him –

But Thor didn't do any of these things, and Tony didn't really expect him to. He just wasn't about to make things easy for him.

Let the big man make the first move if he dared. Let him try to explain.

Unfortunately, talking had never been Thor's forte. He could sit or stand for hours without saying anything, seemingly content with letting Tony doing the talking. He probably understood only half of what Tony was saying, but he liked to listen. He smiled and nodded now and then, while Tony talked and talked, until he realized he'd said things he'd never meant to reveal.

One night, while having a late-night snack, Tony had stopped in the middle of a story. "I can't believe I told you that!" He'd looked at Thor, who'd been eating cornflakes all along. Thor had smiled in that open way of his, but Tony wasn't mollified. He'd blurted out, "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you!" And Thor had laughed out loud and playfully ruffled Tony's hair. "I'm serious," Tony insisted. Then, "Oh, ok, I'm not gonna kill you. But if you tell, I won't have sex with you anymore." And Thor had merely tilted his head and stared at Tony as if to gauge his sincerity, then smiled and laid his hand on Tony's neck and stroke it. Tony reluctantly leant into his touch. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, all right. I'll still have sex with you. Just don't tell anyone, will ya?"

"I shall not," Thor had said solemnly, and Tony had believed him.

He _trusted_ Thor.

A part of him had resisted, at least at first. But he'd gradually given in. It was ok, he told himself; Thor was a good guy, he reasoned; he wouldn't betray him, and he'd always be there.

Tony closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, then opened them just in time to see the part in the movie where Thor wrapped his arm around Tony and then practically passed out, his face comfortably tucked into Tony's neck. Tony glanced sideways at Thor, then looked directly into the camera, smiling goofily. He was sooo proud of himself. He, a mere mortal, had managed to turn the Mighty Thor into an exhausted, cuddly teddy bear of a man. He knew his arm would get numb from the weight and then he'd probably have amputate it if Thor didn't roll off, but hey, if the big man was happy, so was he...

"Schmuck," Tony muttered. Morosely, he closed the window.

He swiveled his chair around and faced Thor. The big man was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes cast down.

Was that shame? Well, good.

"Well, well," Tony said. "The groom's here." He stared at him for a moment. "So. You're leaving."

Thor nodded quietly, still without looking at Tony.

Thor's meekness irked him.

"Are you gonna say something, or are you just gonna stand there like you're part of the furniture?"

Thor raised his gaze at last. His lips parted, but Tony was faster.

"Just tell me this: How long have you known?"

Thor hesitated. "My Father summoned me early this morn -"

"Don't give me that," Tony cut in. "Don't fucking give me that. Your dad's a stickler for tradition; there's no way he would decide this kind of thing overnight. He must have told you about this a long time ago." He kept his gaze on Thor, enjoying the fact that he was making the big man uncomfortable. Ah, ha. "So," he said softly. "How long have you known."

Thor didn't immediately reply. "We were betrothed from birth."

Tony nodded, as if he'd known all along.

"So, all this time -"

Thor shook his head.

"You knew," Tony insisted. "You fucking knew you'd have to leave." Thor tried to say something, but Tony cut in again. "You should have said so, from the beginning. I mean, you're the one who's always jabbering about honor and all that shit, so how come you never mentioned her?"

"She broke our engagement," Thor said quietly. "She said my association with humans diminished me."

"So, what happened; she changed her mind all of a sudden? That's so fucking nice of her." Tony took a swig from the bottle, found that it tasted worse now, but he kept drinking till it was all gone. He lowered the bottle. "You must be so grateful."

Thor looked up pleadingly. "Stark, I… I cannot refuse her."

"Oh, so she says jump and you jump, is that it?"

Thor smiled almost imperceptibly.

"I jumped every time you required it of me."

"That was different," Tony retorted, "That was business. Avengers business." He rose from his seat, walked unsteadily towards Thor till they were just a couple of feet apart. "You're an Avenger, remember? You said we were brothers. Brothers," he added, his anger growing. "You said you'd stay for as long as -"

"Stark-"

"You fucking said it!" Tony finished. He raised the bottle again, and was surprised to find it empty. He looked incredulously at it till Thor gently reached for it.

Tony saw their fingers touch, then part as Thor took the bottle from him and set it on the floor.

Thor's gesture filled him with sadness. Then the sadness turned to anger.

"So. Your fiancée doesn't like humans, huh? Does she know you've been fucked by one?" Thor winced, which was exactly what Tony wanted. Oh, yes; make the demigod squirm. "What about your dad? Does he know?" He looked closely at Thor, and noticed his growing discomfort. "Oh, so that's what this is all about. Daddy found out and freaked out." Thor shook his head almost imperceptibly but Tony ignored him. "His precious son, sullied by human seed."

"Stark." There was something in Thor's eyes as he spoke his name. A silent plea. That, and something else, something he'd seen recently in Natasha's eyes. Compassion.

Tony looked away. He didn't want people's pity.

"It is my Father's command," Thor said softly. "Please, understand. I must obey." He hesitated, and then – "You would do the same if your father -"

"Get out."

Tony turned. Thor was looking at him in surprise. Something in Tony's tone must have alerted him, and now that he looked at Tony in the face, he knew for certain that something was wrong.

"Iron Man -" Pleading, again.

"Get the fuck out of here." The words were spoken softly, but there was an obvious threat in them. "Now."

"I cannot leave until -"

"Didn't you hear me? You broke your word. You're nothing to me now." He frowned even as he said the words, (where the hell did they come from?) yet they were oddly appropriate. He saw Thor flinch, then make a visible effort to hold back. Then, after a brief hesitation, he walked up to Tony.

_This is it,_ Tony thought. Thor was going to hit him -great, then at least he'd get some real pain to focus on.

Or maybe Thor would grab him instead; throw him over the desk and tear his clothes off and -

But all Thor did was put his hand on Tony's shoulder. He just let it lie there, warm and comforting. _No more drumming_, Tony thought. No more easy laughter -_you're nothing to me now_- no more late-night snacks at the cafeteria upstairs, no more trying to teach Thor the right way to swing a bat…

He tried to say he was sorry but for once, words failed him.

"Goodbye, Iron Man," Thor said softly, and then he turned and left.

Tony didn't move. He took a deep breath. Then another. He stood rooted in place doing nothing else for a long time. It wasn't till JARVIS spoke that he finally looked up.

"What did you say?" he asked hoarsely.

"Captain Rogers wishes to speak to you, sir. He wants to know your plans concerning Mr. Odinson's departure."

"My plans?"

"He says you ought to be present as they bid their goodbyes to Mr. Odinson."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, right." He took a deep breath, then, "Ok. Put him through." He glanced at the screen above the door. Steve Rogers appeared there, and he didn't look happy. "What's up, Steve?"

"Thor's about ready to leave, Tony. You'd better come upstairs now."

"I'm kinda busy right now. Why don't you take over?"

Steve shook his head, "It's your house, Tony," he said patiently; "It should be you -"

"My house," Tony repeated ironically. "You're right. It _is_ my house. I keep forgetting that." He looked up. "Ok, look. What am I supposed to do? He wants to leave; nothing I say will change that."

"Then what about showing him some gratitude? He saved our behinds more times than I can count; you know that better than anyone -"

"I saved his too, Steve. And I did count the times. As far as I can tell, I don't owe him anything."

"Don't you?"

Tony looked up sharply. He stared at Steve, wondering what the hell he meant by that, and whether he, like Natasha, might know more than he let on about his relationship with Thor. But unlike Natasha, Steve wasn't looking at him with pity. He looked… pissed, yeah; but also kind of… exasperated.

Tony knew that look; nannies and butlers and rehab workers had looked at him exactly like that.

"It's not like he wants to leave, Tony," Rogers said quietly. "We should support him, not give him a hard time."

Tony looked up reluctantly.

"You're right," he said. "I'm being an ass. What can I say? Champagne has a bad effect on me."

"Then have some coffee and come upstairs."

"No."

Steve threw a quick glance over his shoulder as if to make sure there was no one around, then looked back at Tony.

"You're not making this easy on Thor, Tony! He's been our friend all along; he deserves better -"

"Please, Steve. You do it. You're better than me at this kind of thing, anyway. "

"Tony -"

"Just tell him how much we appreciated his help," Tony added casually. "Make sure his things are packed and ready -I don't want any complaints from Mr. Odinson. Oh, and give him some memento from the group, will you?"

"A memento? Like what?"

"I don't know. A group picture? Or a coffee maker -maybe he'll finally learn how to use it," he added snidely. "What about a toaster? He's getting married, after all."

"What about one of your guitars?" Steve said spitefully. "He always wanted to try his hand at them."

Tony was taken aback.

"No way." Thor's hands were talented when it came to sex, but musical instruments were out of his league. Even baseball bats gave him trouble. "Not my guitars."

"Then come upstairs and chose your own frigging gift."

Frigging. Steve only said that word when he was seriously pissed off.

Tony sighed. "Fine, give him one of my guitars. It's not gonna last long, but... That's the point, I guess. Anything else?"

"No, Mr. Stark," Steve said, still angry; "We'll handle everything for you." He cut communications himself.

Tony nodded.

"Good," he said, even though Steve could no longer hear him. "Ok. That's it then." He straightened up. "I feel much better now," he added. "I need to go out. Yeah, that's it. There's gotta be a party somewhere."

He walked up to the door but couldn't get through. "JARVIS, the door."

_"I am sorry, Mr. Stark. I cannot allow you to leave."_

"What? Why!"

_"Sir, we both know what is going to happen if you leave in your present condition."_

"My present condition?"

_"You are broken-hearted, sir; you have imbibed a large amount of alcohol. If you go out, you shall inevitably get entangled in a dangerous liaison, and then tomorrow -or the day you finally return- you shall bemoan the fact that you left in the first place."_

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. "First of all, I'm not broken-hearted; I'm pissed. That's different." JARVIS didn't deign to reply to that. "Second, I'm not planning on getting entangled in a liaison; I want to get laid -huge difference there. And in third place, what the fuck's wrong with you? I didn't program you to act like a sanctimonious prig!"

_"You programmed me to protect your interests, sir."_

"Exactly; it's in my best interests to go out right now." The door didn't open. "JARVIS! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!"

_"Not until you sober up."_

"I _am_ sober!"

_"Not according to the levels shown on my data base."_

Tony leant his forehead on the door. "JARVIS, for the last time -"

"_The answer is still no, sir. May I suggest that in the future you word your intentions more ambiguously, so that I do not feel compelled to act as drastically? Meanwhile, to avoid a conversation that might prove embarrassing to you later, I shall cease communications for the next four hours."_ Pause._ "Yee-ha."_

* * *

_ TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

Numbers:

THREE

This is a slightly different version from one I posted in the Iron Man section.

* * *

Tony Stark walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked out. It was a glorious afternoon. The sea was calm, the air was clean, sunlight tinted the scraggly foliage with tones of red and gold… But he noticed this only fleetingly.

He raised his wrist and spoke into his watch.

"I made it, JARVIS," he said smugly. "The highest point. In two and a half hours, just like I said."

_"As I pointed out earlier, sir, you could have reached it in five minutes -"_

"If I had worn the suit," Tony finished. "But that's the point, JARVIS; I wanted to do the climb by myself. I ruined a good pair of boots, almost fell a couple of times, I don't know if my car will still be down there."

_"In other words, you are doing penance."_

"It's NOT penance," Tony replied testily, like someone who's had to come up with the explanation over and over; "It's a gesture. This was Thor's favorite spot in Malibu –apart from my bed. I just thought I'd come here and…" He let the word trail off.

"_And…?" _

Tony didn't immediately reply. Instead, he unbuckled his backpack and took a white box from it. A red-lettered logo adorned the top: Pete's Donuts.

Thor's favorite donuts.

"_Mr. Stark?"_

"And eat a snack," Tony said impatiently. Jesus, JARVIS was in an inquisitive mood today.

"_You could have eaten a snack at the tower too."_

"There are cameras at the tower, JARVIS; I needed some privacy."

"_If privacy was what you required, then you should have used the bunker, Mr. Stark. Thanks to your own satellites, anyone in the world can have a clear view of you right now." _

Tony instinctively looked up. The satellites weren't visible of course.

"Damn. Could you turn them away for a couple of hours?"

"_If you wish. But I must warn you; there is a stranger climbing your way."_

"That's ok." A birdwatcher, most probably. Or a lost hiker. "I'll deal with them".

"_It could be someone dangerous, Mr. Stark. It could be The Slasher, or -"_

"The Slasher? What Slasher?"

"_There is a slasher lurking in California. Mr. Hawkeye said so last night. It has a hook instead of a hand, and -"_

"That's an Urban Myth, JARVIS. You shouldn't listen to Hawkeye, you know; especially after the fifth beer. Now, be a good kid and get those satellites off my face."

_"But Mr. Stark -"_

"Over and out, JARVIS."

He stood still for a moment, hoping JARVIS would effectively turn the satellites away. He didn't want anyone to know what he was about to do.

It wasn't going to be easy. Shit, he didn't even know where to begin -

"I'm sorry," he said out loud. Yeah, that was a good way to start. He looked up. _He was out there, somewhere_… Far away, yet close, all the same. Haunting him -yeah, that was the word. He kept seeing Thor -not the loving, funny, or fierce Thor he was used to, but the one he saw the last time they spoke; the one who silently pleaded with him for forgiveness. 'Try to understand,' he'd said; 'Please, don't think the worst of me.'

It should have been so easy to say yes, Tony realized now; . "Yes, baby; I forgive you. I understand." He'd let others get away with far worse offenses, after all. Instead, he'd done his best to hurt the demigod. "Get the fuck out of here."

Tony was sorry now, of course. He'd learned the hard way that in hurting Thor, (or trying to), he'd hurt himself. His damn conscience wouldn't leave him alone unless he did something about it and soon.

And so, just as JARVIS rightly surmised, Tony was doing penance. Climbing the cliff was part of it. Leaving his car unprotected down below was another.

And now…

"I acted like a dick," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Not that he expected Thor to hear the words. He was gone, never to return. But he still hoped that Thor would know, somehow. Thor believed in the power of rituals, and Tony believed in the power of words. And so he said it again.

"I'm sorry, big guy."

He closed his eyes.

Anyone looking at him would have probably thought Tony was praying - anyone who didn't know Tony Stark, of course. Had that hypothetical stranger been able to read Tony's thoughts, he would have found them frankly pornographic, filled as they were with images of a naked man's body –Thor's body.

Tony's memories of his friend were so vivid he could almost feel the man's muscles and furry skin all around him right now; the texture of Thor's cock in his mouth… the taste of his come in the back of his throat…His hands on the back of Tony's neck…

Then other images intruded. Thor, mustering the courage to explain; Thor, shaking his head when he didn't agree with something Tony said –arguing all the more because he knew Tony would feel like shit once he realized his mistake. Oh, yes, he knew Tony, all right.

"You were right by the way," Tony said reluctantly. "If my dad was around, I'd do anything he asked me. I don't know if I'd give you up," he added snidely; "But yeah, I'd try to please him." He paused for moment. "There's some other things I've got to apologize for. I've been acting like you didn't exist –at least, I've tried to, but the guys won't let me." They wouldn't even let him take down Thor's pictures from the walls. "And I tried going on a couple of dates, but… shit, those ended in disaster." Now, that wasn't fair, considering Thor was getting married, for crying out loud. But his conscience wouldn't leave him alone.

And so, today, he'd decided that rather than forgetting, he'd embrace his friend's memory. Honor it, so to speak. Hence, the ritual.

And the donuts.

He looked down at the box for a moment, then raised it.

"Here's to you, Terminathor."

There was faint sound just behind him, then. '_Oh, fuck,' _he thought; JARVIS' stranger was there. A birdwatcher. A pesky boy scout. A lost boy scout.

Tony braced himself for the worst.

And then a familiar voice called out…

"A toast without booze, Mr. Stark? That doesn't seem like you."

Tony turned sharply. A young woman was standing there. Dark-haired and beautiful, and instantly recognizable: Dr. Jane Foster.

Thor's girlfriend.

_Oh, crap. _It _was_ the worst.

Something must have shown on his face, because she added, with a wry smile, "I see I'm not welcome."

Tony recovered quickly. "I thought it was somebody else," he said casually; "The Slasher, for instance."

"Slasher? What slasher?"

"You tell me. There's always one lurking around in California."

"I see. It's a pity you Superheroes don't do volunteer work at the local PD." she said sweetly. "Then maybe there'd be no more slashers."

"Well, can you picture me, working at a crime scene while wearing armor?"

"Not really."

Tony smiled. "The cops don't, either."

She smiled back, but it was obvious she was as uncomfortable as he was. They'd never really talked before –hell, they'd rarely ever been in the same room- and now she'd found him at the very place that Thor had come to love during his brief sojourn on Earth.

She must be wondering what the hell he was doing there.

Her first question took him by surprise.

"What you said when I was coming… Did you say Terminathor?"

"I used to call him that sometimes," he said reluctantly; "Called him other names too, but he dug this one the best."

She nodded thoughtfully. She was silent for a moment, then, "You must be wondering what I'm doing here." When Tony didn't reply, she said, "Thor told me about this place a while ago. He said he loved to come here to watch the sunset. Red sunsets, he called them."

"It's the pollution," Tony said quietly.

"I saw your car in the parking lot, by the way."

"It was still there? That's good."

"The winos are keeping guard," she said. "They must think you are a generous tipper."

Was that sarcasm? He couldn't decide.

"I was surprised," she said. "You didn't strike me as the contemplative kind."

_What kind am I, then? _

"I came to say goodbye to my friend," he said quietly. And I'm not going anywhere.

She smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" And without waiting for a response, she marched on towards him.

It briefly occurred to Tony that the edge of a cliff was probably not the safest place to share with one lover's girlfriend, (even if she didn't know he was her boyfriend's lover), but he was basically a courteous man, (and a chivalrous superhero to boot), and so he stood aside for her.

"Oh. This is beautiful," she said, taking in the entire view. "I can see why he loved this place." She glanced at him, then at the box in his hands. "What's that?"

Tony opened the box. There were six donuts neatly arranged in two rows –three sugar donuts, three covered with icing.

"A gift to the gods." she said.

Again that tone that could be sarcasm… or not.

"He loved these," he said noncommittally.

"He loved coffee, too."

"Yes." Tony was silent for a moment, then, "Not fancy coffee, though." Thor despised Tony's cappuccino machine.

She smiled. "He preferred what I call diesel coffee. Like this," she added, taking something from her shoulder bag. A red thermos. "His favorite," she added. _See? _She seemed to be saying, _I knew him well too. _

"Another gift," Tony said quietly.

She faltered, but quickly got a hold of herself.

"Would you like some?" Again, she didn't wait for a response. She glanced around and noticed a grassy spot just a few feet away. She motioned him there.

Tony hesitated. She was taking over the situation and he didn't like it. And she was being way too nice. In Tony's experience, girlfriends of Superheroes were a jealous, resentful bunch who hated the way their loved ones seemed to relish going on a mission rather than staying with them. They just didn't like the rest of the team.

But maybe Jane Foster was more sensible than most.

Tony sat next to her, putting the box of donuts in between. He opened a pocket in his backpack and brought up a plastic cup.

She filled it to the brim. "It's really strong," she warned.

"It's ok."

He winced at the taste of the coffee. _Diesel coffee_ was right. He drank it anyway. It gave him an excuse not to talk, and the taste wasn't so bad once you got used to it…

But it had definitely tasted better in Thor's mouth.

_But then, he tasted good everywhere_. Tony smiled, then checked himself. He had the uncomfortable feeling that Jane could read his thoughts.

But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking out the sea, seemingly lost in thought. She hadn't even tasted her coffee yet.

Tony covertly watched her. Here was the woman Thor had loved; he was curious. He wondered what it was about her that caught Thor's interest; wondered what she'd do if she ever found out it (whatever "it" was) didn't keep Thor from hooking up with a guy. Would she be jealous? Pissed? Devastated? Some women turned murderous when they found out, but Jane didn't seem the type. Not that he knew her that well. He knew she loved Thor, though. There was no doubt about that.

Tony wondered what it felt to love someone (and be loved) only to lose in the end. He really had no clue, but he had a vague idea of what she was going through, and, well… he felt sorry for her.

He wished there was something he could do for her.

His eye fell on the box of donuts. He pushed it closer to her. "Want one?"

She blinked in surprise.

"Oh. No, thank you."

"Are you sure? These are the best in town." And he tilted the box so she had a better view.

She smiled reluctantly.

"I can't, really," she said. "But you go ahead."

"Ok," he said, as if he was only doing it to please her. "But I warn you; once I start, I won't be stopping. So, if you want one, you'd better take it now."

She smiled, genuinely amused, but didn't take any.

"Fine," Tony said. He took a long, hard look at the donuts, then picked the one with maple icing.

"Do you always take this long to choose?"

"Sure."

"I thought they all tasted the same."

"Who told you that?" Tony asked indignantly. "For your information, young lady, a chocolate donut tastes better if you eat a maple one first," and to illustrate this, he took a big bite of the donut in his hand. He chewed heartily…

And almost choked when she spoke next.

"I knew about you and Thor."

He paused for a couple of seconds, then cautiously went on chewing; cautiously and slowly, very slowly, while he mentally composed his defense.

"He never said anything," she said, matter-of-factly, as if it were a casual conversation between friends. "But I could tell. I saw the way he looked at you; saw the way he smiled at you." She paused until he met her gaze. "I knew that smile."

Tony Stark had two rules when it came to meeting one's lover's girlfriend. The first one was to avoid meeting one's lover's girlfriend in the first place. But it was the second rule that he found the most useful (and realistic): when confronted by the inevitable, there was only one thing to do: deny.

But Jane's attitude was so unexpected, he forgot all about that one.

"Either you're the most open-minded woman I've ever met, or this coffee's laced with Strychnine."

She shook her head.

"It's only coffee, Mr. Stark." And she pointedly took a sip from her own cup. She kept her gaze on him, gauging his every reaction. She was in control, and she knew it.

For once Tony Stark was a loss for words.

_Shit. What now?_

"You're very -" Tony struggled for the right word. "Level-headed."

She scoffed.

"What am I supposed to do –scratch your eyes out?"

He smiled a little. Lovers' girlfriends had dented a couple of cars of his, but nobody had ever attacked him personally. Too risky. And maybe, just maybe, they didn't care that much for their lovers anyway.

"I always knew when he'd been with you," she said quietly. "He told me jokes afterwards. I knew he'd learned them from you."

"Not all of them," Tony said cautiously. Hawkeye had told him a fair share of jokes. Atrocious jokes.

She was watching him.

"You must think I don't have any self-respect," she said.

He only shook his head.

"No? Even though I kept seeing a man who -"

"A god," Tony countered.

She hesitated, then scoffed softly.

"A god. You're right," she added. "Once I accepted he was the god of thunder come to Earth, it seemed there was very little I wouldn't do for him. Even sharing him with a man." She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"Yeah, well; who else could you tell it to?"

She looked at him with interest.

"You're right. It wasn't something I could discuss with my friends. If I had -"

"They would have told you to dump him."

"No, they would have told me to scratch your eyes out," she replied. "But then, they would assume Thor was seeing another woman." She held his gaze. "Were you jealous of me?"

"No."

"No? Ever? I'm offended."

"Were you jealous of me?"

She considered this.

"At first," she said slowly. "Then I realized I'd feel more threatened by another woman. And I knew of your reputation; I was sure you'd simply move on. But then you didn't move on -"

"Well, it's hard to move on when you live in the same building," he said reasonably; "We worked side by side -"

"Yes. I could never compete with that. And he seemed happy. You obviously filled a space in him that I could never hope to fill."

Tony almost laughed out loud, (oh, he'd filled some spaces in Thor, all right!) but held back when he saw she was serious. Too serious. She obviously had a wrong idea of what he and Thor had.

"The work kept us together, Jane; you're the reason he wanted to stay in the first place."

She smiled.

"You're being nice to me. I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, well. We're in this together." He raised his cup of coffee and touched hers.

"We both lost," she said quietly.

_Cheers._

They were silent for a moment.

"Did you give him a hard time?" he asked suddenly. "When he told you he was leaving?"

"No." She saw the surprise in his eyes. "I always knew he'd leave one day."

"So, you knew about his engagement."

"No. But I knew he'd eventually go back to Asgard. He had a destiny to fulfill."

"Marriage to another deity," Tony said quietly.

Her eyes filled with tears. She raised her cup and pretended to sip her coffee, but she wasn't fast enough to cover her pain.

Tony looked away and gave her a chance to recover.

"What about you?" she said after a moment, "Did you give him a hard time?"

Tony only smiled sheepishly.

"You did?" She was surprised. "What did you do?"

"I said some things I shouldn't have. I thought he'd be around forever," he added, as if that explained everything. "You were wiser than me."

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about it and… I've realized I never really enjoyed what we had. I kept holding back."

"He knew you loved him," he said generously. He looked down. _Wonder what it feels to love and be loved like that?_ Still… Thor did love him, in a way. And he was so fucking generous and kind… More than anyone Tony had ever met.

But there was no use thinking of that now. So, to change the subject, he nodded at her bag.

"So, what else d'you got there?"

"An antidote for Strychnine," she said dryly.

Tony looked up sharply.

She smiled. "Make-up and a box of Kleenex, Mr. Stark."

"I see," Tony said casually; "I was hoping you'd brought some burritos to go with the coffee. No matter," he added. "We still got these." He picked the white box again. "You sure you don't want one?"

"I can't. They're -"

"Fattening, yeah. But they're delicious."

She hesitated, then rolled her eyes in a 'what the hell' gesture. She gingerly reached for one covered in sugar.

"No!"

She abruptly pulled her hand back.

Tony was instantly apologetic. "Sorry. Sorry, I shouldn't have done that; here," he added, offering her the box again. "Take it." But she wouldn't move now. "Please." But as her hand hovered over the sugar donuts, he said. "Those were his favorite."

She picked one with pink icing instead.

"Sugar donuts are too messy anyway," she said.

Tony smiled to himself. Yeah, they were messy, but that was the point: Thor would end up with sugar sprinkled all over his beard and mustache, and Tony would lick the sugar off him, and then they would kiss and share the sweetness. Then Thor would eat another donut, and so on, and -

Jane put an end to his reverie.

"Did you love him?"

"I liked him a lot," he said austerely.

"Were you faithful to him?" Tony didn't immediate respond, so she added, "I was. I think he expected it."

Tony nodded wearily.

"He did. Back at the very beginning, he ruined a couple of dates of mine."

"He did?" She was surprised. "How?"

"He sent thunder and lighting my way. He swore he didn't do it, and I believed him the first time, but..." He let the word trail off. The second time, he'd stormed into Thor's suite and demanded point blank if he'd ruined his yacht outing. Thor, who'd been polishing an antique knife, calmly put his tools aside and looked up. "I?" That's all he said, and damn if he didn't manage to convey hurt and surprise that Tony would even ask the question.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that. My yacht was the only one with a fucking thunder display over it; it had to be you! Do you know how hard it's for Jase and me to get together? It'll probably be a year before he can get away from his wife again!" Thor considered these words for a moment. Then he rose and walked up to Tony and, looking sad -the saddest he'd ever been- he asked, "Is it he who you'd rather be with, then?" And Tony couldn't give an honest answer to that. He did want to be with Jason, but what the hell, Thor was right there, and he looked hot and he was available - But wait, he was not always available; what about Jane? But before Tony could bring her up, Thor started kissing him and there was nothing more to say or do.

So, he'd been jealous of Jane. The realization stung. Tony-motherfucking-Stark was not the jealous kind! And if he said it enough times he might start believing it.

He glanced at Jane, and realized she was looking curiously at him. "He was a jerk," he said.

She smiled. "But so charming."

Tony stared at her for a moment.

"I guess this has been more difficult for you," he ventured.

"Because I'm a woman?" She met his gaze. "I believe it's just as difficult as it is for you."

"Nah," he said casually. "I'm used to losing."

"But you were angry when he told you of his engagement."

"I was angry because he was leaving," he countered. "I just wanted him to stick around. I didn't - I wasn't -" _I didn't love him, _he wanted to say; _I wasn't in love._ But it wasn't true, was it? He did love the man. When he thought of the guy's kindness, the way he supported him when they failed… Or the way he reacted whenever Tony told him a particularly drenching story from his childhood: He held him all through the night, for instance; tell him some tale that would raise his spirits.

"He used to sing," he said softly.

"Songs of ale and love," she said, smiling. "I only understood half of what he was saying, but -"

"His folktales were easier to understand."

"Folktales?" She frowned. "He never told me any."

Tony hesitated for just a second.

"Oh, well, then you probably don't have trouble falling asleep." Actually, sleep was the last thing he needed when he was with Thor; he was just being considerate. Secretly, he was thrilled that Thor had told those stales only to him; acted them out, actually. Thor would pace about the room, doing voices, mimicking the characters' gestures...

Not that he was sweet all the time. Thor was fiercely loyal, but he raised hell whenever he thought Tony was wrong. And Tony was a better man for it. He learned so much from him -

And suddenly, Tony realized that Jane was right; it really was just as difficult for him –maybe more so, because Thor wasn't just another lover gone forever; he was every man Tony had craved in his life: lover, brother, friend, protector.

_Oh, God._

"I did love him," he blurted out. "I loved that son of a bitch."

He touched his chest. Something deep inside him hurt -hurt like hell in fact. Tony'd heard people say love hurts, but he never took it seriously. Till now.

He took a couple of deep breaths. They helped… Until she spoke.

"He loved you too," she said softly.

Tony looked at her. She was smiling. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she wasn't embarrassed by them now.

"He loved us." And she said it was if she didn't realize it till now.

Tony's eyes clouded with tears too. _Oh, shit_. When was the last time he cried? Oh, yeah. When Yinsen died.

But Thor wasn't dead.

He wasn't.

"This is all wrong," he said abruptly. "He's alive; we should be celebrating that."

She hesitated.

"Come on," he said. "We want him to be happy, right?"

"With her?"

"A deity," Tony said. "Chosen by Odin."

"She's a blonde," Jane said, her voice filled with despise. "Blue-eyed and tall."

Tony had to smile at this. "So?"

"She's not her type," she said firmly. "We are. Brown-haired, brown-eyed," she added, eyeing his hair first, then his eyes. "Not too tall."

"You're right," Tony said in sudden realization. He didn't even mind the 'not too tall' part.

He was going to add something, then stopped.

The sky had darkened all of a sudden, and a harsh wind flew over the sea.

Alarmed, she rose to their feet.

"What's that?"

Tony's reaction was slower. He picked the donuts before he rose. "California weather," he said matter-of-factly. "It could clear, or it might not. But maybe it's time for us to go."

Lighting flashed across the sky then. They braced themselves for the sound of thunder, but it never came. And then, just as quickly, the sky cleared again.

Tony frowned. "Ok, that was not typical California weather." He was about to call JARVIS, when Jane spoke.

"Oh, my God," she said. She was pointing at the trail behind them.

He turned.

Thor was standing there, looking flushed and disoriented. He was holding Mjolnir close to his chest, as if he were protecting it from an unseen threat. Then he looked around. He seemed reassured by the familiar setting, but faltered at the sight of them. He stared in disbelief for a few seconds, then tentatively walked in their direction, as carefully as one who fears that a sudden move will shatter an illusion.

Then, just a few feet away, he stopped and, overcome with emotion, dropped to his knees.

"Hey," Tony said. "What's wrong?"

Thor didn't raise his gaze.

"I have been banished from Asgard."

"What happened?" This from Jane.

"I refused to wed Astrid." He looked up at last, not at Tony and not at Jane, but at one point between them. "I could not forsake you."

Tony and Jane looked at each other.

Tony's heart was pounding hard. He was elated but he was scared shitless, too. And judging by the look on Jane's face, so was she. "What now?" Her eyes seemed to say.

The one who spoke first would settle the situation, and so Tony looked at Thor. He was going to do the honorable thing. Yep. He was used to losing, after all –

But Jane beat him to it.

"We have food," she said, raising her half-eaten donut.

Tony looked incredulously at her, but she kept her gaze on Thor.

Tony looked back. The demigod hadn't moved. He was obviously waiting for Tony to say something; a word of forgiveness or one that should banish him from Midgard too.

Yeah, right, Tony thought. Like I'm gonna do that.

"Come on," he said, motioning Thor to get up. "We were only waiting for you to get the party started." He smiled. "Welcome back."

And Thor's smile told him that was the right thing to say.

* * *

TWO AGAIN

Because Suzu-chan felt Thor should have come back only for Tony…

Tony entered the kitchen and made a beeline to the coffee machine. He was reaching for a cup when a voice behind him gave him a start.

"Good morning."

He winced. Pepper Potts was sitting in a corner, looking perky as always.

"Miss Potts," he said formally. "Shouldn't you be out, doing your Christmas shopping?"

"I finished my shopping weeks ago," she said placidly; "Yours too."

"Yeah? Am I giving nice gifts this year?"

"Very nice," she said, with a satisfied note in her voice.

"And expensive, I bet."

"Aren't they always?" She raised the glass in her hand in a mock toast.

Tony smiled. He turned his attention back to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Glancing about, he noted the boxes of cereal lined on the countertops, an open bottle of milk, baskets laden with apples and bananas…

_There's no real food here._

"I brought you some muffins," Pepper said.

Tony turned. There was a bag on the breakfast nook.

"Blueberry," she said. From his favorite bakery too. As always, she was anticipating his every want.

Normally, Tony found this very reassuring.

Not today.

He gulped some coffee and looked out the window. It was a nice day. Quiet. Too quiet.

"Where's everybody?" he asked, mostly to fill the silence. He already knew where his fellow Avengers were. Out on missions, or at the labs.

With one exception.

It was Friday, (or as Tony called it, Jane Day), which meant Thor Odinson had gone to… wherever the hell Jane Foster lived, (Tony refused to find out her address). Not only that; it was December 21. Per their agreement, Jane got Thor from Friday through Monday, with Tony getting him the other days, except on holidays, which Thor invariably spent with her.

Which meant Thor would be away till January the 2nd.

"Oh, joy," Tony muttered.

"Did you say something?" Pepper asked sweetly.

Tony ignored her. Oh, he knew what she was doing. It happened every Friday: She watched him; she followed his every move and looked for signs of malcontent…

But he was not going to give her any. Sure, it was a weird situation; he, of all people, was acting like a divorced dad sharing custody of his kid! It was ridiculous. Thor wasn't a kid; he was a grown man –a deity, for crying out loud. But hey, if Thor was happy, (and he was), Tony was happy too. Most of the time, that is.

Fridays were bad for him though. Until he buried himself in work, he brooded over this arrangement and invariably came to the same conclusion: _I should have talked to my lawyers before signing up._

The thought bought a reluctant smile to his lips. Yeah, right. He could imagine old, venerable Mr. Weinstein doing a double take and asking him to 'please explain again'. And when he finally understood, he would have blushed to the tips of his ears.

_Ah, but once he did understand, he would have got me a better deal._

And that was the heart of the problem, wasn't it? Tony had let the final decision to Jane. Oh, he thought he was being a gentleman at the time, but now he could see he was a schmuck.

The others tried to warn him. Bruce, Pepper… Actually, Pepper didn't say anything, but her reaction was eloquent enough: she only shook her head when she heard of the arrangement.

"I know what you're thinking," Tony had said. "You're thinking this is not very feminist of Jane, and that she shouldn't compromise -"

"Actually, Tony, it's you I'm worried about."

"Me? Why?" He was banging Thor; how bad could that be? He didn't say so, of course, but she probably guessed what he was thinking.

She'd merely smiled at him. A sad little smile; a smile that said, 'oh, you poor, little idiot, you don't know what you're getting into.'

"What?" he'd asked, irked, "You don't think I can keep my end of the bargain?"

"I know you can," she said patiently. "I'm just wondering if it's going to be enough."

And now he understood what Pepper meant.

It wasn't enough.

And Thor didn't make it easier. Some Fridays, (like today), he took too long to do things. He stayed longer in bed, took longer to wash up, took far too long to dress, and then wandered about the room doing nothing, until, (like today), Tony snapped at him and told him to just-fucking-go already –which was the wrong thing to say, 'cause Thor thought Tony was trying to get rid of him, and then he looked at Tony with big blue eyes filled with something that looked like hurt. And Tony, instead of trying to explain, just walked out of the room, and (like today) came down to the kitchen to get some coffee and food.

"Ah, shit," he muttered to himself. _I wonder if I fucked up this relationship._

Hawkeye entered the kitchen just then. He nodded at Pepper, then, studiously avoiding Tony's eye, asked, "Anybody knows what Thor's doing out there?"

"Out there, where?"

"He's sitting on a ledge of the Empire State Building."

Tony glanced outside. He had a clear view of the Empire State –which was one of the reasons he'd built Stark Tower in that location, in the first place: He wanted to look _down_ at the Empire State building.

"I don't see anything."

"He's on the other side," Hawkeye said. "He's just sitting there, like he's some sort of gargoyle." He looked at Tony this time. Pepper looked up too. Tony avoided meeting Pepper's gaze, but from the tilt of her head, he knew exactly what she was thinking, 'Well? Aren't you gonna something do about it?'

He stalled a couple of seconds, then determinedly put his cup down.

"JARVIS? Get the Mark VIII ready will you?"

Tony flew to the other side of the Empire State, half-expecting to see it empty, (Hawkeye had a sick sense of humor, after all) but as it turned out, it was true; Thor was sitting there, looking uncomfortable with arms holding his knees.

Tony found a ledge and cautiously settled there. He raised his visor.

"Hey," he said.

Thor raised his gaze.

"Metal Man."

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't you be on your way to…" _To wherever the hell Jane Foster lives. _"Shouldn't you be at Jane's?"

Thor shook his head.

Tony frowned. "What's going on?" Half-joking, he added, "You didn't have a fight, did you?"

Thor sighed, then nodded.

Tony raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. He waited for some other revelation, but none came. Not surprising, given it was _Thor_, the least communicative man he knew. Go into battle, and Thor would find the right words to say; mention feelings, and that gorgeous mouth would snap shut.

Not that Tony was any better at it. He wasn't the kind of man people turned to for advice, and so he was poorly equipped to deal with the problem.

He cleared his throat.

"Are you ok?"

Thor stared ahead, as if he were thinking of the appropriate response.

Tony tried again. "Aren't you cold?" Of course, he wasn't, (he was a demigod, for God's sake!) but Tony didn't know what else to say. "You're sitting on a slab of ice, you know." He paused for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is, you could sit in your own room at the Tower."

But Thor didn't move.

Tony looked away. He knew what was coming. He knew… and he didn't wanna hear it. And by the looks of things, Thor didn't wanna say it either. But they couldn't stay there all morning either.

"So. Thor. What was the fight about?" It had to be him, of course. Jane was a sweet girl, but how long before she snapped and gave Thor an ultimatum? "Was it about me?"

Thor nodded reluctantly.

"What did she say?"

Thor didn't immediately respond.

"She -" He started, then stopped.

"Uh, huh?" Tony nodded, encouraging Thor to go on.

"She said -"

"Ok…?"

"She asked -"

"Yes?"

Thor looked down.

Tony sighed.

"Just say it, Thor," he said kindly. "I can take it."

Thor gulped.

"She demanded that I make a choice."

Tony nodded.

"I understand," he said mechanically.

Thor looked up. "Do you?"

"Do I, what?"

"Do you understand?"

Tony considered. "Not really. It's just the kind of thing you say to get the other person to go on. So, go on."

Thor looked down.

"That is all."

"She asked you to choose between her and me." Thor nodded. _Shit._ Tony looked away. Below, the city looked beautiful. Clean. Peaceful. It wouldn't last –it never did- which made him all the more determined to want to hold on to this semblance of peace.

_But nothing lasts forever._

Tony took a deep breath.

"It's ok," he said quietly. "If you want to stay with her, I mean." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Thor look up sharply. The big man didn't speak. "I mean, we can still be friends, right? That's not going to change."

Thor was looking at him.

"You would not mind?"

"Mind? No," Tony said off-handedly; then, because he just couldn't lie to Thor, "I mean, yeah, I would. I do," he amended. "But hey, I'll get used to it. Just as long as you came back now and then."

"Is that the truth?"

"Sure." Tony held on for a few seconds, and then, "Oh, who am kidding. It's not true. I'm just trying to do the right thing here, Thor. That's what heroes are supposed to do, right? They're noble and righteous, and self-sacrificing. Only I'm not any of those things."

Thor looked curiously at him.

"I try to be noble," Tony added wearily; "But I've been Tony Stark too long. And he's a selfish son of a bitch. And he wants you to stay. Every day. Holidays included."

Thor was frowning.

"But you asked me to _fucking go_."

Tony winced at the sound of that word in Thor's mouth.

"I'm sorry I said that. It's just… You know how it is, when you've got to remove a band-aid and you start peeling it at the edges, only it makes it worse? And so you just peed off the damn thing…? No, wait; you've never worn a band-aid; you can't know what I'm talking about."

"You want the pain to be over," Thor said slowly.

"Yeah! That's it."

"I never wished for you to feel pain," Thor said quietly. "Yet I hurt you. And I hurt Jane."

"Aw, it's not your fault. Jane and me went into this with our eyes open." He was silent for a moment. "So. You're sitting here while you make a decision?"

Thor shook his head.

"I've already made my decision," he said solemnly. "I told Jane I could not choose her over you."

Tony felt himself grow suddenly warm. Either the suit was malfunctioning, or he had a high fever. He didn't care.

"Really? You chose me?"

Thor nodded almost imperceptibly.

"You know, you could look a bit more cheerful about it," Tony noted. He was silent for a moment. "What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything. She…" he waved his fist in the air, mimicking a punch on the face.

"She punched _you_? Wow. Most girls would have punched the other guy." He shook his head. "I didn't think she had it in her." He studied Thor's face. "When did it happen? I never noticed a thing."

"You did," Thor said. "I had something here," and he pointed a spot on his jaw.

"Oh, yeah, I remember that bruise. But wait, that was weeks ago." Thor nodded.

Tony was silent for a moment. He was thinking of Jane, and of her generosity. She was the one who came up with the idea of sharing Thor for a few days at the time instead of the weeks or months that Tony had feared. That was nice of her. Sure, she couldn't keep her end of the bargain but that was not unexpected.

"Wait," Tony said suddenly. "You've been free all this time and didn't tell me? Why?" But he knew the reason. 'Just fucking go!' he'd told Thor that morning, as if the demigod was a nuisance. "You thought I only wanted you around from Tuesday to Friday."

Thor didn't reply.

"Oh, man. That's… " _Stupid_. He didn't say it. "Well, just so you know, I want you to stay full-time with me. With us." Then he smiled. "You know what's funny? There were a couple of times when I almost went after you. I thought I'd grab you by the hair and force you to come back. But I'd given my word to you and Jane, so I never tried."

To his surprise, Thor's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"I wish you had tried."

"Really? You wanted me to act like a caveman?" Thor's smile widened. "You know, it could still happen," Tony said slowly. "If you really want me to."

Thor reached for Mjolnir.

"I shall meet you in Cornwell woods."

"Cornwell woods? Isn't that the place where we first fought?" Tony smiled. "You really are a romantic!"

* * *

…Coming up, TWO FOREVER.


End file.
